Supporters loyal to Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara stormed the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council secretariat in the state to chase away council workers loyal to the former governor of the state and current minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
The supporters in their thousands stormed various secretaries in the state to show their loyalty to the incumbent governor.
This follows the directive given by the governor instructing Heads of Local Government Administration to immediately take charge of the 23 council areas of the state.
The directive comes on the heels of the expiration of the three-year tenure of the elected local government chairmen, vice chairmen, and councillors on Monday, June 17, 2024.
However, some outgoing Local Government Chairmen such as the Eleme LG’s outgoing chairman, Obarilomate Ollor, warned those seeking to remove him from office not to approach the council, as they will be resisted.
However, several videos making the rounds on social media show youths from the LGA storming the council, chasing away all the staff.
The aggrieved youths could be heard shouting, “Eleme has been taken over.”
Also, supporters of the governor destroyed a statue of Nyesom Wike at the headquarters of the Obio/Akpor Local Government Council on Tuesday.
In a now-viral video, the youths could be seen destroying the statue while singing and castigating the ex-governor of the state.
Fubara also cancelled the 10,000 jobs in the State Civil Service approved by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, stating that a new recruitment procedure will be conducted.
It will be recalled that during the final months of his administration, Wike allowed the immediate hiring of the aforementioned number of youngsters to fill vacant posts in the state workforce.
He added that a more transparent process would begin shortly, but expressed disappointment that when the names of those chosen from the 23 local government units were examined, they were persons smuggled in for political favour.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
